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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786665">Sleepy way Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cockabeetle/pseuds/cockabeetle'>cockabeetle</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_luna/pseuds/Crazy_luna'>Crazy_luna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Owari Magica [71]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Owari Magica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:47:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cockabeetle/pseuds/cockabeetle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_luna/pseuds/Crazy_luna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ana and Percy talk and make plans after the initial discovery and conversation about the Sanctuary,</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Owari Magica [71]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815574</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleepy way Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>POINTS<br/>Total: 1815<br/>Beetle/Ana: 909 words at 455 +450 +50 = 955pts<br/>Bun/Percy: 906 words at 455 +450 = 905pts</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mariana looped her arm through Percy's, pleased her hoodie fit. She was probably gonna be a little chilly as they walked him home, but she didn't mind.<br/>"So. I think you should know, Salem and Von have baggage about Belladona, she wouldn't take no for an answer, when she tried to come onto Salem, and they're all angry at each other for how that ended, when Bella and Von got into a fight. She told us this while you were spacing out during the Christmas Party, and... that's why Salem snapped at you when you talked about talking to Bella." She huffed.<br/>"Not that she had a right to, and definitely Nessa had no right."</p><p>Percy made sure to pull her close, mulling over her words. He'd been so happy before, and then so hurt and angry, that he'd almost forgotten that there was more to Belladonna than his own personal relationship with her. "I... I kissed Belladonna. Last time I saw her."</p><p>"Alright." Mariana held him back, petting his hair. Hadn't she told him to do something like that? When they'd last sparred? He was the one most likely to get Bella on their side. It was only fair he did so.<br/>"Fine."</p><p>Percy looked down at her. "You're.. okay with that?"</p><p>"Yeah. Didn't I tell you to do something like that, earlier? If you think you can convince her to stop fighting us... then do it. Any way you can think of."</p><p>He nodded. "Yeah... I guess, that makes sense. It wasn't why, I wasn't thinking about that. I just... I haven't stopped thinking about it, and everything is weird lately."</p><p>Ana nodded.<br/>"I get it. I understand. And I'm here, okay?" She kissed his cheek.<br/>"You ready to keep going home?"</p><p>Percy hummed as he thought. On one hand, he was pissed and confused about why Nessa had acted the way she had. On the other, it wasn't too late yet. "What if I buy ice cream for us?"</p><p>Mariana laughed.<br/>"Alright. You can get some, I think I'm gonna stick to..." she pulls a Mars bar behind Percy's ear.<br/>"These." She winked.<br/>"Lemme know if you want something to top yours?"</p><p>Percy nodded. "Yeah, I think that would help. I.. I hate how bad this feels. Did you see her face?"</p><p>"I did. I... I hate that she attacked you. It was uncalled for. She shouldn't have done that. I made sure she didn't tattle to Von and spin it like you're actually working for Bella or something." She glared to the side.<br/>"If she breaks us apart when Bella hasn't managed to after a year of trying, I'll shoot her myself." Ana glared to the side.<br/>"I love her, but she's making it very hard to remember that..."</p><p>Percy squeezed her a bit closer, nodding. "I think... I think, even if she does try to get Von against me, Von would hear me out first. I trust her, and she trusts me. Still, I hate that this happened at all. I was just trying to be strong, and it went... wrong."</p><p>"I get it. It's not your fault. What you said makes sense, even if it wasn't the best thing to say at the time." Ana held him a little tighter.<br/>"You weren't in the wrong, today. She was. I just wish I could have stopped this from happening."</p><p>Percy sighed. "It doesn't feel like she's willing to listen to you. Do you notice it? Even if you could stop it, she wouldn't listen."</p><p>"I've noticed." Ana glared to the side.<br/>"I won't forgive her until she apologizes to you. If she doesn't figure that out, I'll figure out a way to make it clear." Ana sighed.<br/>"But you're sure you're okay?"</p><p>Percy bit his lip, pulling them to the side of the park with the ice cream man as they neared it. "I... I'm not sure I'll feel any better until I know she's calmed down. Thank you for being on my side."</p><p>"Of course I am. We agreed to trust each other. I won't ever be able to trust her... but I trust you and your judgment." Ana squeezed his arm where she held it.<br/>"I wish I could trust her to do the same, for any of us..."</p><p>He hummed and got in line after a small family. "Can I come clean about something else? I don't want to keep anything from you, there just wasn't any good times to say it. I... wasn't sure how you'd take it."</p><p>Ana blinked.<br/>"Sure, hermano, go ahead. Should I be worried?" Ana bit her lip, twirling a longer strand of hair around her fingers with her nerves.</p><p>He took a deep breath. "When I first talked to Bella, we played a game and like, bet on it. I won. I asked her to leave you alone... so I could get a chance to be a better friend. I'd just figured out about witches, and we were still distant, and I was scared that you'd die or something if she messed with you, and I couldn't handle it. So I stepped in. If it was out of line, I'm sorry, Ana."</p><p>Mariana stood still for a moment, and then found herself smiling softly.<br/>"That's really sweet, actually, hermano." She wasn't sure she liked the implication that she was weak or needed protection, but... she knew she hadn't been in a good headspace when they were seeing Bella around at first.<br/>"Thank you. So that'd be why you and I aren't on the note? She's made a deal with you?"</p><p>He nodded. "I made a deal, and she likes me. If I have to assume. I might have also said some dumb intense stuff, but I've made it clear that as long as you're here I'm going to be by your side and supporting you, which makes this thing even more frustrating. It's hard to say 'ra ra, support the team' when Nessa is splitting it down the middle." He shook his head. "I don't know what to do."</p><p>"Let's let everyone calm down a bit, and once things have calmed down we can all talk it out? Get Ness to stop, help Von and Salem rebuild... everything. I do think, it might be smart... once everything has blown over, for you to apologize to Salem, she's gonna be really fragile with all of her work destroyed. It might be nice to hear some of the people who actually fought in front of her to apologize, at least a little." Ana squeezed his arm.<br/>"I'm gonna try to get Ness to talk, once I can stand being in the same room as her without wanting to yell at her myself."</p><p>He nodded. "In a bit, after everything calms down, I can stop by the shop and help her out again. Show her I care, right?"</p><p>"Yes! Exactly." Ana hugs him, before stepping up to the counter to glance over the options. She didn't really want one, but...  still.</p><p>Percy went for a double scoop, mint chocolate chip and cherry garcia. He glanced at Ana. "Do you want a drink? Something salty maybe?"</p><p>Ana thought for a moment.<br/>"A coke?" She asked the cashier, and shrugged slightly.<br/>"I'm good otherwise, Percitititito."</p><p>He paid for them and walked a bit further away from the kiosk, his cone in hand and her coke in hers. "Got anything to put on here?" He jokes, offering a smile.</p><p>Ana pulls something from behind her back, and grins at the sight of a box of Nerds.<br/>"Does this work, or would you like me to keep looking?"</p><p>He laughed and took it, sprinkling them on top of the ice cream. "Perfect. Thank you, Anita."</p><p>"Any time, Percitito." Ana grinned.<br/>"You feeling a little better with some sugar in your system?" She takes a swig of her coke, and finally opens her Mars bar.</p><p>He laughed and nodded. "Honestly? A little. Usually it's a cure all, but I'll take something over nothing."</p><p>Ana laughs.<br/>"I understand! It's the same for me, candy's a comfort food. Though it was doing less than I was used to for a while, there..." Ana trailed off, and glanced away.</p><p>He nudged her shoulder and offered her the last bit of nerds. "It's okay. You've got me now, right?"</p><p>"I do." She hooked her arm through his, taking a bit of her candybar and shaking her head at the nerds.<br/>"Thank you for being here, hermano."</p><p>Percy didn't have anything to day other than squeezing her closer, walking towards his house. The events of the past few days were still reeling through his head, honestly, and it was all he could do to just stay grounded. So for now, ice cream, Ana, and the idea of hiding in his room until he felt better. It wasn't his usual M.O., but it was what he needed right now.</p><p>Ana squeezed him back, and bit her lip.<br/>"I promised I'd let you talk to the blue magi, but... what's your plan? I..."</p><p>He sighed. "Well, mostly I want to confront them about..." He fished in his pocket for the choker he'd found in the bathroom. "This. If I'd shown it back there, Nessa would have... accused me of planting it, or, or I don't even know. Something. I didn't want to deal with it so I hid it."</p><p>"She'd have insisted on talking to them herself." Ana frowns, and holds out a hand for the choker.<br/>"Interesting, that it's a diamond. Probably just a coincidence, though, considering I think their theme is swirls?" Ana shrugged.<br/>"I only saw them once."</p><p>Percy shrugged. "I mean, anyone can wear a diamond. It's not a hallmark- it's not concrete. It's not proof. I know I'm just fishing for stupid explanations, but... this isn't right. I know that she didn't do it, not herself. She's only shown up at the Sanctuary once, I think there's a reason for it, don't you?" He felt like he was looking for needles in a hayfield, too big and easy to disappear in without getting anything in return.</p><p>"I bet it'd be hard to walk across the sand with her leg, wouldn't you think?" Ana sighs.<br/>"I know diamonds aren't conclusive proof, but... it feels important, anyway. People recognize patterns." She chews on her lip.<br/>"I don't doubt Aeron did it, I just... don't know why. What Bella said to them, what she offered them... why would they do it?"</p><p>Percy shrugged. "Why do the stars shine, why does the beach air smell so good, why are teenagers so stupid? There's no logic to it yet. All we can guess is that she... she had something worth this, don't you think?"</p><p>"Yeah. And... they probably don't know what they drew. They've been a magi for a couple weeks, they can't know what grief seeds are, can they?" Ana glanced up at him.</p><p>"We don't know that. What if they wished to know everything, or something? We don't know anything. I just want to ask them why. I proved with Chara that I can be delicate, didn't I?" His eyebrows rose.</p><p>"You did. I'm not sure how delicate you need to be with them. I just.. I'm scared, you know?"</p><p>"I get it. I'm... upset. And I won't be the one to apologize to her, but I won't take it out on them. I don't think I'm that type of person, do you?"</p><p>"No." Ana leaned up to kiss his cheek, and pulled him toward his house, glancing away.<br/>"You're not the kind who would attack them. I'm scared for what this will do to the group. I'm sure, once Von and Salem have gotten some chairs and some replacement furniture, they'll call everyone in to tell them. What will the kids think of this?"</p><p>He shook his head. "I don't think I can think about anything other than tonight, Ana. I... can we just sleep, tonight? Is that alright?"</p><p>"Yeah. I'm sorry." She squeezes him close.<br/>"You mind if I sleepover tonight?"</p><p>He shook his head. "I don't mind, Ana. Come on." </p>
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